After advancing to  the third round of CIF playoffs, the Diamond Bar girls tennis team was defeated by West Torrance 10-8 on Friday.

The team previously won their first two games of the CIF playoffs against Serrano and Milken Community, 12-6 and 14-4 respectively.

Junior Angeline Cheng and sophomore Jaida Wilson, the doubles league champions, will play in CIF individuals on Nov. 17.

By defeating Claremont and Bonita in its final  league games, the team established its standing. The Lady Brahmas finished third in league with a 6-4 record, qualifying for CIF.

“We really worked hard for our last matches and it came down to the last couple of games,” junior Amy Xia said. “If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t have been able to go.”

Xia, who competed in CIF doubles, found positive takeaways even in a first round loss.

“Even though it was just a few matches, I learned a lot about myself and how to work better with a partner because I had a new partner for CIF. We learned a lot about each other and how to play well…during that important match,” Xia said.

As a first year coach, Alexis Feix said  that the best part of her job is  the relationships formed with the players, bringing a new perspective to the team’s outlook.

Even though the Lady Brahmas qualified for CIF, the coach is still expecting  improvements for next season, particularly relating to mental toughness.

“I really want to work on making my players less tentative and to have more confidence in themselves…we need to work on being mentally tough, fit and strong,” Feix said.